FL Die Setting Shoulder Back .001

[fx77]

Page 120 Tony Boyer Book To FL resize and set shoulder back .001

He says remove the die stem and bushing
Put in 15 thou worth of shims under collar which should be unlocked
Lock the collar on the die with bushings in place.
Put case in holder and raise case to touch inner ring of die with stem and bushing removed
Then insert the bushing and holder but stem is backed up much as possible

Raise case and measure to shoulder in calipers
Keep removing shims until the shoulder is bumped back .001”

Then put case in rifle and see that bolt without spring mech. Drops by gravity to horizontal and complete closure is with minimal resistance
So say for example .003 Shim under the collar locked gives you the perfect .001 shoulder bump…do you leave the shim in forever?
Why: Because:
If you remove .003 shim and screw down the die to the press you will have bumped the shoulder .004?

Clarify
Thanks

 

[JFrank]

Once you get the set back you desire adjust the lock ring to that setting.

 

[BoydAllen]

Yes and yes. At the time that Tony wrote that the PMA Tool Micro die adjuster was not available. It makes adjustments easier.

Another thing in the area of 6PPCs, because competitors typically use a small set of cases, loading at a match, repeated firing and sizing hardens them, requiring slight die adjustments to maintain the desired bump.

 

[JFrank]

Yes and yes. At the time that Tony wrote that the PMA Tool Micro die adjuster was not available. It makes adjustments easier.

Another thing in the area of 6PPCs, because competitors typically use a small set of cases, loading at a match, repeated firing and sizing hardens them, requiring slight die adjustments to maintain the desired bump.

These are definitely nice, unfortunately they cost as much as or more than the die.

 

[J.J. Coe]

These are definitely nice, unfortunately they cost as much as or more than the die.

Whidden has a universal click adjustable die ring that a little more affordable and it works great.
https://www.whiddengunworks.com/product/universal-click-adjustable-lock-ring-3/

 

[JFrank]

I use a feeler gage.

Farm boy speak..

 

[K22]

Since I load for multiple rifles of the same caliber, I used Skip Shims to make adjustments for shoulder set back. To be clear, these shims are "donut" shaped and fit under the lock ring uniformly and vary in thickness from .0100 to .003".

I set the full sizing die to a slight cam over with the 0.010 shim. By using the appropriate shim I can vary the shoulder set back over a wide range without having to change the lock ring position on the die. In addition, the shell holder is always in contact with die no matter which shim I use. I record the shim size used for that group of dedicated cases on the cartridge box for future reference.

As cases age or when I change to another set of cases dedicated to another rife I can easily adjust the set back by changing the shim size.

Once new cases are fire formed to a specific rifle chamber and I've set up the FL die for that rifle and group of cases, I monitor case head space with a Widden Gun Works bump gauge and caliper checking three cases each loading to determine if I have to change shim size due to case hardening after repeated loadings.

I found this to be the easiest, most cost effective, and technically effective way to control shoulder set back.

 

[JMayo]

I have a pma tool on both my dies used for BR rifles. They were 60.oo each I think.
Just couldn't imagine doing without them. A game changer for sneaking up on shoulder bump when half a thou matters.

 

[JFrank]

When does a half thousand matter ?

 

[JMayo]

It matters to me when shooting matches against the likes of Bart, Chris, Sam, Scotty, Jim ...
One thou is a wide max so I could have said 3/4 thou....

 

[JFrank]

It matters to me when shooting matches against the likes of Bart, Chris, Sam, Scotty, Jim ...
One thou is a wide max so I could have said 3/4 thou....

Shootin against that group has gotta be tough. I use a PMA tool also not sure I need it but I have one.
nice shootin on that match BTW